With a new remit and a new focus on building out the  IFLA Namespaces to even greater capacity, LIDATEC has been renamed the Metadata Technical Standards Review Group or METATEC.

The IFLA Metadata Technical Standards Review Group coordinates and supports the publishing of IFLA Metadata Standards, including the instructions, examples and linked data aspects, in the IFLA Namespaces, and supports the activities of other IFLA Review Groups by publishing the metadata standards, providing the technical support infrastructure, producing documentation and guidance, providing training and other support as needed.

Joseph Hafner, the longstanding Chair of LIDATEC, now METATEC, is responsible for shepherding the growth of the IFLA Namespace since its inception in 2013. We interviewed Joseph this month, inviting him to share his insights into this important aspect of the IFLA Standards infrastructure.

What is the IFLA Namespace?

The IFLA Namespaces is a website where we publish the IFLA bibliographic standards as Linked Data.

Which IFLA Standards are published on the website?

It provides linked data access to various IFLA Standards, including:

  1. FRBR Vocabularies: These vocabularies define relationships between bibliographic entities, such as works, expressions, manifestations, and items, enabling richer and more precise cataloguing.
  2. ISBD Vocabularies: The International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) vocabularies help standardise bibliographic descriptions across different libraries and systems.
  3. UNIMARC Vocabularies: UNIMARC is a format for bibliographic and authority data exchange. The linked data version enhances interoperability and sharing.
  4. MulDiCat: A multilingual subject vocabulary, MulDiCat facilitates consistent subject indexing and retrieval.
  5. LRM (Library Reference Model): A high-level conceptual reference model developed within an entity-relationship modelling framework which builds upon FRBR’s approach and methodologies.
What is Linked Data?

Linked data is a method of structuring and connecting information on the web. It follows four principles:

  1. Use Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs): Each piece of data (e.g., a concept, a person, or a standard) has a unique URI, which serves as its identifier.
  2. Use HTTP for Data Retrieval: Linked data relies on standard web protocols (HTTP/HTTPS) to retrieve information associated with URIs.
  3. Provide Useful Information: Linked data should include meaningful information about the resource, making it valuable for both humans and machines.
  4. Link to Other URIs: Linked data resources should link to other relevant URIs, creating a web of interconnected data.
What are the benefits to publishing standards as linked data?

Interoperability and Integration:

  • Linked data allows seamless integration of IFLA Standards with other datasets, systems, and applications.
  • Libraries and institutions can combine IFLA Standards with external vocabularies, enriching their metadata.

Increased Visibility and Accessibility:

  • By publishing standards as linked data, they become part of the global web of knowledge.
  • Researchers, developers, and practitioners can easily discover and use these standards.

Reduced Redundancy and Effort:

  • A shared global pool of reusable metadata reduces duplicated effort.
  • Organisations can focus on adding unique value rather than recreating existing data.

Facet-Based Navigation:

  • Linked data enables dynamic exploration of related concepts.
  • Users can navigate from one standard to another, discovering connections.

Enriched Metadata with Links:

  • Linked data allows standards to reference related resources, enhancing context.
  • Metadata becomes more informative and interconnected.
Why was the IFLA Namespace started?

We knew it would be important to leverage linked data principles to make IFLA Standards more accessible, reusable, and interconnected. We wanted to enable the use of the Standards in Linked Open Data (LOD) and facilitate the development of Semantic Web bibliographic tools and services. Our hope was that all of this would lead to a more efficient and collaborative global information infrastructure.

What is the status of the namespace now?  Why the need to switch from LIDATEC to METATEC?

After launching the Namespace during the pandemic in July 2020, we started to realise that keeping our IFLA standards up-to-date in two different ways— some aspects as linked data (very forward thinking) and other aspects, like instructions and examples published as a PDF (basically online paper versions)– meant that keeping them in sync would be a challenge over time. We also started to think about various options for publishing the standards completely online in a dynamic environment.

In previous years some groups thought about using the IFLA website for this, but it wasn’t the right platform. We needed a webspace where we could use the full power of the vocabularies in data form, but display them in a way that made the user feel like they were looking at a wiki-like site that linked to the appropriate texts, displayed examples, and still was able to talk to the semantic web.

We started to realise our GitHub site for the Namespaces would also offer the possibility to published the standards fully there and it would give us the flexibility to have worldwide reviews and work done behind the scenes, and when approved push out new releases, which could even be targeted to just certain parts at a time.

We are changing the name now to reflect that we will move from only publishing the linked data aspects to all of the bibliographic metadata aspects along with the linked data. Our name previously was: Linked Data Technical Review Group (LIDATEC). Our new name will be: Metadata Technical Standards Review Group (METATEC). We really like the way the new acronym reflects the previous one.

What do you hope to accomplish with this transition?

Transitioning from a PDF-based publishing to a dynamic online platform offers several significant benefits for IFLA members, libraries and librarians worldwide. Let’s explore these advantages:

  1. Global Reach and Accessibility:
    1. These allow the work to update the standards to be done online, so that members doing this work can access the tools online 24/7 to update, review, comment and publish the standards.
    2. Librarians, researchers, and practitioners from around the world will have open access to the Standards.
  2. Enhanced Interactivity and Engagement.
    1. The online platform will allow for dynamic opportunities not available in PDFs, including navigation to all of the parts of the online aspects within the standards and out to wherever they need to go.
    2. Librarians will be able to create interactive tutorials, walkthroughs and examples related to IFLA Standards.
    3. Users benefit from a richer experience, engaging with dynamic content beyond static text.
  3. Ease of Content Creation and Distribution:
    1. Dynamic platforms facilitate collaborative content creation. Multiple contributors can update and improve the content in real time.
    2. Google Sheets integration ensures that the latest information is readily available once it is approved by the Review Groups.
  4. Prepares us for the future:
    1. Places us in a space where the Standards can be better positioned for future Artificial Intelligence (AI)  aspects.
    2. Empowers librarians, promotes global collaboration, and ensures that IFLA Standards remain relevant and accessible in the digital age.